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Niǎn Hegemony
The Niǎn Hegemony is not as large as either the Twelve Worlds Empire or the Zakonnyy Empire. Taking this into account it plays dirtier. Law is strict and draconian. Psionic and magic are used to predict crimes and eliminate those that would commit them before they happen. (Think Minority Report in the hands of the Chinese Emperors.) Tyrant Sumd considers the execution of the potentially unlawful fine entertainment, ergo it is broadcast for all to see. Torturous and complicated methods are preferred. Religion is strictly controlled and the only faith allowed is the veneration of the Celestial Bureaucracy and of course they placed Tyrant Sumd on the throne. It is noted that their clerics have power. Tyrant Sumd is also the High Priest. Map Area map for the Empires and Magic Zone. Other Worlds in the Greyhawke Universe *Independent/Unaligned Worlds "12 Worlds" *Magic Zone *Twelve Worlds Empire *Zakonnyy Empire Politics The Unrivaled Son of Heaven Nothing modest there. The Unrivaled Son, yes, always male, is an absolute tyrant in all respects. Law flows from is sacred lips and his words are carried out without question. Said person is the Lowest rank in the Celestial Bureaucracy. God, yet mortal. The interface between the inscrutable gods and the mortal world. The Unrivaled Son of Heaven gets what he wants when he wants it no matter what that might be. An audience with him has a very good chance of slightly annoying him and ending in your entertaining (to him) death. The Unrivaled Son of Heaven is also the high priest of the Celestial Bureaucracy, so he controls both State and Church. The Material Bureaucracy The engine of the will of the The Unrivaled Son of Heaven. Great power can be had here. Many posts, such as Imperial Viceroy, are far away from the Occult Palace and offer a version of the The Unrivaled Son of Heaven's own position. As long as no ill report reaches the august ear you are safe. Doing such reporting can be equally dangerous as it is a habit of The Unrivaled Son of Heaven to purge the entire bureaucracy right down to the whistle blower themselves, families included all around. It is best to keep local corruption local. The Priesthood Separate from the Material Bureaucracy with the exception of The Unrivaled Son of Heaven himself. It is their task to appease the gods, oversee the morals of the people, and instruct them as to their place. If there is a report of corruption in the Material Bureaucracy it is far more likely to come from this source. For them, unless they report an issue in their own ranks there are no repercussions. They even get to do the punishments as sacrifice is the typical sentence. It has been noted that 80% of coups come from this direction. The top clergy need to be agile on their bellies to avoid being this week's sacrifice. The top posts have a high turnover rate. The Military Threat assessment, defense, acquisition, in that order. These are the tasks of the Hegemony military. General Officers are the Naggun themselves, but you will not find the serpents among the combat troops. It is common for the threat to be overstated in an attempt to get more resources into your fleet. As the tactic is common it does not work as well as it might because everyone is doing it. The end result is you get your share, and the Capital is more paranoid than it should be. The Military can be a route to political power, but not if you are smart. There has never been a military coup, so purges of the military do not happen. In all a cozy place to ensconce yourself, if you don't have political ambitions. Niǎn Hegemony Gazetteer Junggan Capital world. *'Location:' -5/-9 *'Races Present:' Naggun: A 20 feet long serpent with arms. They are some shade of yellow from lemon yellow to ocher with black eyes. The brighter the yellow the better. There is color discrimination. They are egg layers. They do have venom. Unlike many humanoids Naggun have a narrow sex button. They see cross species sex has an act of perversion and will readily kill any of their own kind that do it. However, it isn't a problem for other races. What lessor species do is proof of their lessorness and they don't care. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 14 *'Politics:' Absolute Theocracy -- Celestial Emperor Tyrant Sumd Um Kluk is an absolute ruler in every respect, feared by his subjects. Those summoned before him say their good-byes and make out their will, on the good chance it will go badly. That which enters the Occult Palace seldom leaves. *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy -- The form of government is set down from,the Heavens an extension of the will of the Unequaled Tyrant of Heaven. All other of the gods are the cast offs of the Celestial Host and unworthy of veneration. The Celestial Emperor is the least of the immortal Host. The mortal interface between gods and mortals. *'Notes:' "The center of the Universe" Two kinds of people live there. Imperial Officials and poor working sods. The latter live longer lives, but have nothing to speak of. The Occult Palace is the size of a city filled with bureaucrats, concubines, and the exclusive apartments of Sumd Um Kluk himself. Sumd Um Kluk overthrew the previous Tyrant that had allowed himself to become isolated from the actual business of the Empire and spent all his time in poetry readings, flower viewings, and women. While Sumd Um Kluk is certainly culturally aware, he would be less respected if he was not, he will not allow himself to be isolated and has a finger on the pulse of everything. After all who do you think isolated the last ruler in the first place? Saeloun Ttang First of the Oppressed *'Location:' -8/-5 *'Races Present:' Jaesan A four and a half foot, stout Humanoid with a slight muzzle. They are covered in short fine hair. They are herbivores. *'Tech Level:' 14 All technology is in the hands of the Naggun. *'Magic Level:' 12 *'Politics:' Imperial Governor, the natives have no say. *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy. Any practice of native religion is a death sentence, usually by torture. Being eaten is quicker. *'Notes:' The First Conquest. The natives were quickly classed as property to be owned, used, and disposed of at will. Naggun frequently eat these people with no concern. Merciful ones kill them first, often by biting them. The whole of the world is overrun by Naggun estates. The native Jaesan are still a majority population, but are nothing but the most menial labor and food animals. It is illegal to educate one. Severe punishment for the educator and death for the Jaesan so educated. Sijang Humanoid World *'Location:' -10/-3 *'Races Present:' There are five different Humanoids on this world native to same. And a couple of non Humanoid species as well. Hana -- Average of 5'10" your typical Human looking people. Kkoma -- More slender taller and more beautiful. Delicate faces, more magic potential. Nanjaeng -- Shorter broader, amagical. Dealers in stone and metal, technologists. Pauni -- Shorter fay people with a wild bent. They have the legs of herd runners and little tails, atechnical, highly magical. Yojeong -- People under two foot high. They are even more magical and mischievous. they are not usually considered part of society. Goyang -- One of the non-Humanoids. Sentient psionic cats. Pibu keugi -- The skin shapers. The other non Humanoids. A shanpeshifter that is not generally part of society. They are much feared. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 18 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy over local Kings. In truth the Empire does not control the land well. It is too fractured and heterogeneous. *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy is enforced. Most locals shrug and add them a little. The native religious have gone underground. *'Notes:' Encountered in their warp age the local people were given the choice of conquest or destruction. There was a bit of a tussle. The Empire holds space and major cities. the resistance has gone passive aggressive. They don't fight as much as do as told when watched and do as they please when not. Peullaes Second World *'Location:' -7/-7 *'Races Present:' Gan: A Canoid descended from plains hunters. They are noted for their stamina. Color ranges from a light yellow brown to brown. This has made them more favored by the Naggun. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 12 *'Politics:' Monarchy. They have an unusual system of having a pair a King and Queen. Both with equal say. Politics is Game of Thrones dirty on good days. *'Religion:' Yeenoghu: The religion heavy on blood, yours. They regularly sacrifice humanoids and eat them. The Naggun Imperial bureaucracy looks the other way as long as the Celestial Bureaucracy is given due service as well. *'Notes:' The Naggun are noted as politically color blind. The Gan are largely yellow and it blinds the Naggun to things they should see. The Gan are favored above other mammals. Gan generals run most of the military as the Snakes are not physically brave. Gaechoe Gan Colony *'Location:' -6/-7 *'Races Present:' Noye: Humanoids walking on a digitigrade hoof. They are lightly furred and have a slight muzzle. They are omnivores with a heavy veggie preference. Most races find them pretty. Gan: Minority rulers. *'Tech Level:' 4 and not allowed better. Gan have 14. *'Magic Level:' 15 *'Politics:' Gan control with an Imperial Viceroy, who is Gan. The native are not allowed any say. *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy., All native religions are savagely repressed. *'Notes:' The Gan's one conquest before they encountered the Naggun. They have thoroughly made it plain that the Noye people are prey and the Gan will do with them as they please. Tongil The Collective *'Location:' -9/-7 *'Races Present:' Tharix -- Insectoid burrowers. They are three foot tall on six limbs and about six foot long. The front most limbs are hands and they don't usually run on six. They are natural socialists and complacent with their place in society. Leaders do not rock the boat. Low empathic they can be gotten to do some truly vile things. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 10 *'Politics:' Hive and super hive led by Elder Females. *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy -- Worshiped because they are told to. *'Notes:' Encountered in space and conquered. The Tharix rolled right over. The Naggun like to employ them in the Occult Service as they don't feel for other creatures and can be instructed to do the most vile things that even lawyers won't do. Some scholars have questioned the race's sentience. They are intelligent enough, but don't feel. Hoesaeg Neup The Grey Swamps *'Location:' -11/-4 *'Races Present:' Gaeguli -- Very large frogs. They live primitive as the Empire has not found a use for them outside of food. Other: Many races all of which would rather be someplace else. *'Tech Level:' 0 native. 14 Imperial *'Magic Level:' 14 *'Politics:' Imperial Warden -- The place doesn't have a willing colony population *'Religion:' The Celestial Bureaucracy by those brought here. Even in prison you must worship. Native cults what ever they are. *'Notes:' Almost a water world. It is hot as well. The local natives like it fine. Most mammals call it a wet hell.This distaste has been noted and Hoesaeg Neup has become the Imperial Prison, a place to forget people. The world does have a treasure of exotic hardwoods and the prisoners are worked to death harvesting same. Natives? It's not even illegal to shoot one for fun. Gongjang The Factory World *'Location:' -7/-4 *'Races Present:' Nongno: A short pale humanoid. Psychologically they are closer to insects in behavior. They are willing to live on top of each other and in conditions that most peoples would call Hell. Life spans are short and brutal. A Nongno removed from their hive is lost. They go into a deep depression that most never recover from. The Nongno that can function outside of a hive is considered insane and to be rectified, that is killed. On the rare occasions they leave their home world they must go as a whole hive. Other: In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is King. Those that can stand this place can use their ability as individuals to make a fortune, provided you have a strong stomach, or no ethics. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 09 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy over the local Monarch *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy -- There was no native religion. The Nongno worship as they are told. *'Notes:' This place is the most built up world in the whole of the Empire. Over a tenth of the land has been made into vast dystopian cities a hundred or more layers deep. Billions of people live therein. People that never see the light of day, What is left are super efficient factory farms designed to feed those vast populations. Wild land does not exist. Countless factories churn out the consumer goods for all over space, not just the Niǎn Hegemony. Goods the locals have no use for. And if many people knew where that comm link came from, they would be sick. Dandanhan The Frozen *'Location:' -8/-8 *'Races Present:' Gomagma -- Six foot tall four foot wide ursonoid race ideally suited to the harsh reality that is Dandanhan. their culture is heavy on blood and fatalism. They hold life cheap, and family dear. *'Tech Level:' 13 *'Magic Level:' 14 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy over the Clan Lords. *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy -- The Naggun blood cult looks gentle and welcoming compared to the local religions. It didn't need to be pushed hard. Gomagma take a more Darwinian view of the hierarchy. The Naggun's position is not, in their mind, assured. *'Notes:' A difficult place that breeds a difficult people. Colder than any other world in the Empire. The Gomagma are warriors that seek glory and death. It is common to see them on Imperial worlds shaved to the hide to deal with the heat. While they work for the serpents they do not respect them. Any being that cannot stand unclothed on the surface of their world gets no respect, which includes just about everyone. The day will come when Naggun is menu item and nothing more. They bide their time and watch. Gongpo Shadow World *'Location:' -8/-2 *'Races Present:' None native, that anyone has found. *'Tech Level:' 13 *'Magic Level:' 18 -- Inexplicably high for a world so empty. *'Politics:' Imperial Military Governor *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy *'Notes:' A dark world beneath a red sun. For all the perpetual twilight it is an easy world. Still the only reason to come here is the mineral wealth it holds and hold it they do. The Military runs this place, it is a cornucopia of the stuff you need to make starships. But why are there mine tunnels deep below the surface with no entrances? Why are there tunnels at all? Why do people go missing in the black jungles? Yèjiān kǒngbù Night Terrors *'Location:' -9/-2 *'Races Present:' Cuòwù: Meter and a half cockroaches. Scary narrow people button, members of other tribes do not qualify. Aliens are simply "meat". The creatures are hard to kill, their carapace can take a moderate blaster hit, and even with their heads blown off they take minutes to die. Other: A mix of Imperial races trying to get rich. *'Tech Level:' 0 native. 13 in the Imperial areas. *'Magic Level:' 16 *'Politics:' Imperial Governor *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy. Native shamanistic cults that thrive on the blood of sacrifice. *'Notes:' A world of ready resources, and giant arthropods. The oxygen level is 27%. Breathing can make you giddy. It also allows for really big and dangerous bugs. The most dangerous bugs are the Cuòwù, sentient cockroaches that actively hunt you. Bugs skilled at hiding and silent movement and a jaw that can open you like a K ration. They are devilishly difficult to find during daylight hours, and have the run of the place at night. Everyone else locks everything including themselves up tightly. No one travels after dark. If not for the wealth of resources this world would be left to the giant bugs. Full out army missions to kill everything that moves have barely made a dent in the wildlife population, and no dent on the one that is the most dangerous. Yángguāng Sunlight *'Location:' -10/-5 *'Races Present:' Tolee: 90% Humanoids with near perfect black skin. They are covered in a fine white hair that is longer on the head and back, absent on the face and chest. They are placental mammals with the usual parts in the usual places. They wear clothing for style, status, and protection. Other 10%: Imperial races in no great numbers. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 14 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy *'Notes:' An extremely rare world in the stable gravitational position between three stars. It is never night. Native life forms are never in the dark. The quality of the light changes, the day is divided in to Yellow, Orange, and Red depending on the star dominant in the sky. The Hegemony found the world in a post industrial state. The Tolee do not handle places where there is nightfall well. As a result one must exploit them in situ. Xiágǔ Clefts of Steel *'Location:' -7/-8 *'Races Present:' None Native, most Imperial races are present. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 12 *'Politics:' Imperial Governor: The population is small, either rich persons that do not want to be bothered or near slave mine workers that don't get rights. *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy *'Notes:' A small world (0.7G) with a very thin atmosphere. The only livable parts of the planet are the series of massive crustal clefts that rival the Valles Marineris on Mars. They range five miles deep. The main surface of the planet requires a pressure suit to live on it. Cities are built into the sides of these canyons that are 70% water covered at the bottoms. The major reason to be here is resources. Mines can be shot directly into deep crustal veins that would be inaccessible otherwise. Lastly the views are stunning. Canyon view dwellings are pricy and often the retreats or retirement homes of the wealthy. There is physical separation between the elites and the dystopian mine tunnels deep in the planet crust. The two space ports are on the surface of the planet where large ships can land without cutting sky. One for the wealthy, and one for the mines. Shétǔdì Kindly Serpents *'Location:' -10/-1 *'Races Present:' Shé: The other snakes in the Empire. Shé are 8 meter long snakes on the constrictor model. They are brown and green in color with vivid patterns along their whole length. They have arms two meters from their heads. Females are live bearing giving birth to from one to three young. The race practices pair bond mating. They do not wear clothing. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 17 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy jammed down a Republic. *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy, when someone is looking. Local gods have become a case of family worship. *'Notes:' The Shé where encountered in their early warp drive age. At first they thought they had found a kindred species, they soon learned their mistake. Shé and Naggun are as different as people come. The Naggun forced themselves on the Shé and with superior arms and the Shé unwillingness to see their world despoiled prevailed shortly. The Shé have played nice to get the Naggun to look the other way, and with a body form the Naggun favor they have, mostly. Slyly sidewinding the Empire has become an art form. Lǜsè The Forests of Darkness *'Location:' -6/-9 *'Races Present:' Dēngshān zhě 80%: Humanoid gibbons. Very long arms and short legs perfectly adapted to living a vertical life in the trees. They are green in color, from dark green to a shade of mint. Hair is heaviest on the head, they have hair no denser than Humans. they wear clothing for protection, style, and status. Color politics has been an issue in the past, the darker the better. Dēngshān zhě pair bond. However the bonds are easily made and easily broken. Couples will frequently part when the kids reach age of maturity without acrimony or social stigma. Other 20% Various Imperial races. *'Tech Level:' 14 *'Magic Level:' 16 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy over local rulers. The Dēngshān zhě have raucous democracy going, several of them. It was not a united world when encountered.. *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy: What else? You will worship by the numbers. Chimer: Naive god brutally oppressed. It has not vanished but gone thoroughly underground. *'Notes:' Cities in the trees. While mile high forest covers from the tropics to the arctic circle the planet is every inch a galactic world. Cities are aggressively vertical, something that annoys the Naggun and the Gan. They were encountered in their early warp age and put under the gun. The planet had not even pulled together into a single world government. They have now, secretly. Lǜsè has no specialty. The people are generalists the world a world. Bǔrǔ Mammal Park *'Location:' -11/-6 *'Races Present:' No native: Take dinosaurs, halve the size and make them mammals. Over run the whole world. Other: Most Imperial races with any sense of adventure. *'Tech Level:' 12 -- What you bring with you. *'Magic Level:' 14 *'Politics:' Imperial Governor *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy: Even with some mammalian raptor trying eat you worship is required. *'Notes:' Mega fauna gone wild, and they are not the most dangerous. Nothing fears you. A raw world for the taking. If you can survive it. Kōng The Vast Silence *'Location:' -10/-7 *'Races Present:' Most Imperial races with a sense of adventure. *'Tech Level:' 13 -- No shipyard. *'Magic Level:' 10 *'Politics:' Imperial Governor. *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy, what did you think? *'Notes:' Kōng is the empty world. It is early in its development as a class M planet there are no land animals, no land plants. The only sounds are those of the weather and what you bring with you. The day is 19 hours long and the Moon looms huge in the sky. The coasts are unlivable as the tides top 100 feet. So you can't even have the crashing surf as company. You work your interior farm in the middle of a vast wasteland, making your own soil from the waste of the colonists and the vast bacterial mats harvested from the sea. The population is small, they work in towns supported by Galactic tech at mining or creating the soil to start local farming. Extreme plants have been widely seeded and are slowly taking over the planet as a whole. They are decades from forests of any kind. Fùdān Yellow Snake's Burden *'Location:' -12/-2 *'Races Present:' Korg: 90% Rubberhead Humanoids with the usual parts in the usual places. Skin is a warm green, and hair is black. Other: 10% Erstwhile Landlords and Imperial Bureaucrats. *'Tech Level:' 11 Native: A vast ecologically minded park with no hint of space technology, but lots of fusion. 13 Imperial *'Magic Level:' 19 *'Politics:' Imperial Viceroy of native Governments *'Religion:' Celestial Bureaucracy -- The usual import, it gets bare lip service. The Mother: Native faith with no temples and universal acceptance. It puts forth no creed and has no priests. "The Mother Will Provide" *'Notes:' A maddening world. The people listen to the bare extent that is is not inconvenient to them. They are totally unmoved by massive group punishments. "The Mother Will Provide." Is all the reply the Imperial lords get. Within the month the people killed are back at their lives and businesses. Burn the bodies, and the same. Export then as slave labor and they die within the week and, yes, are back home doing their thing within the month. The Mother will indeed provide. The Mother is a massive sub surface primal life form that permeates the soil layer the entire world over. It does provide, communication, regeneration, knowledge. Only natural causes can permanently kill any native. When their life cycle has run, and that can take 200 years. Children are born only at the replacement rate. People know when to have children. You have 2 billion people living in a technological non polluting park that has no conflict. The down side? They cannot leave. their lives are tied to the world. Ergo they die when removed to be replaced by the Mother. Ships The Strike cruiser is lighter than either the Twelve Worlds Man o War or the Zakonnyy Battleship. It depends on maneuver and speed and heavy forward punch. More specialized vessels carry troops and exploration is typically a civilian activity. Category:Outsider Gazetteer Category:Twelve Worlds Gazetteer Category:Politics Category:Planets Category:Lists